The Chicago Bulls had a players-only meeting after their opening night loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to head coach Billy Donovan. The Bulls lost by 20 points at home and tensions were high in Chicago’s postgame locker room, sources told NBA Analysis Network.
“I’m not going to sit there and say that it was bad, like people were tearing up the locker room,” Donovan said. “It was nothing like that. They were in there talking. I walked in and they said, ‘Hey, Coach, can we talk?’ I said sure and I left.’
“There’s nothing personal about any of this stuff. These guys do care, and they want to be better, but they know there’s habits they’ve got to change, and they’ve got to break. And they’re talking about trying to do that collective as a group.”
While Bulls players like Donovan as a person, they aren’t fond of his offense, sources said. Chicago players were told that the offense would be different this season compared to last season, but in the Thunder game, the offensive sets were the same as last season.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls Updates
Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, who got into a heated discussion with Donovan during the game, is unhappy with his lack of post touches, sources said. Vucevic, who is the third option on offense in Chicago behind Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, attempted only eight shots versus the Thunder. The two-time All-Star finished with 11 points and nine rebounds while shooting 5-of-8 from the field.
During the 2021-22 season, when the Bulls won 46 games and made the playoffs for the first time since 2017, LaVine had a private discussion with Donovan about his lack of shot attempts in the fourth quarter, sources said. DeRozan was the closer for Chicago that season, and while LaVine was happy the team was winning, he wasn’t thrilled with being a spectator in the fourth quarter.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls Updates
The Bulls have no plans to fire Donovan, sources said. However, if the team continues to struggle, DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic could be traded before the 2024 February trade deadline and Chicago could embark on another rebuild.
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